News from the region you shouldn’t miss!
١. A Beating Schiaparelli Christmas Tree Lands in Dubai
Mandarin Oriental Jumeira, Dubai has kicked off the festive season with a showstopper: a couture Christmas tree created by Daniel Roseberry for Maison Schiaparelli — complete with a mechanical beating heart.
Inspired by Elsa Schiaparelli’s Zodiac legacy, the tree bursts with 960 golden metal rods in glitter, polished gold and perforated finishes, echoing the solar rays of the iconic Apollo of Versailles cape. It’s celestial, sculptural and unmistakably Schiaparelli.
At its center, a dramatic red heart — 3D-printed, crystal-studded with 1,458 Swarovski stones, and pulsing at 60 beats per minute — brings Roseberry’s FW25–26 couture fantasy to life.
Maison Schiaparelli continues its year-round residency at Mandarin Oriental Jumeira, offering exclusive festive experiences, including access to the region’s only Schiaparelli Suite.
A cosmic tree with a couture heartbeat, Dubai, you’ve outdone yourself.
٢. F1’s Wildest Finale in 15 Years Heads to Abu Dhabi
Three contenders. Sixteen points apart. One race left.
The 2025 Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship will be decided under the lights at Yas Marina Circuit — and for the first time since 2010, three drivers enter the final showdown with a shot at the title.
Max Verstappen’s late-season charge puts him just 12 points behind McLaren’s Lando Norris, with Oscar Piastri only 6 points further back. It’s the tightest title race in over a decade and all eyes are now on Abu Dhabi.
Ethara, the event’s organisers, are matching the moment with a full-scale takeover of the UAE capital: double Pit Lane Walks on December 4, extended post-race podium access on December 7, and a ticket that unlocks the city — from teamLab Phenomena to Louvre Abu Dhabi, plus concerts by Metallica, Katy Perry, Post Malone, Elyanna, and more.
For the 105 nationalities of fans descending on Yas Island this week, it’s not just a race. It’s the region’s biggest entertainment weekend with history on the line.
Start your engines.
٣. Stella McCartney Returns to H&M for a 20-Year Sustainability Sequel
Two decades after their history-making first collaboration, Stella McCartney and H&M are reuniting — not just for a collection, but for a full rethink of what a designer partnership can be.
Dropping Spring 2026, the collaboration revisits McCartney’s archives with signature silhouettes and house codes, crafted using responsible and largely recycled materials. It’s a showcase of what the future of accessible, sustainable fashion could look like — and a reminder that McCartney has been pushing this conversation long before the industry caught up.
What makes this partnership different? It doesn’t end on the shop floor. H&M and McCartney are launching a new Insights Board, gathering diverse voices across the fashion ecosystem to openly debate sustainability, animal welfare and innovation. The goal: turn dialogue into action, and keep the pressure — and optimism — alive.
As McCartney puts it, “real change only happens when we push from both the outside and the inside.” H&M echoes the sentiment, calling her a “ground breaker” whose rule-breaking femininity and uncompromising ethics continue to set the pace.
The Stella McCartney x H&M collection will launch across major GCC locations — including Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Yas Mall, The Avenues, Red Sea Mall, Riyadh Park — and online in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar
٤. Sotheby’s Brings $1 Billion in Art & Luxury to Abu Dhabi
Sotheby’s has touched down in Abu Dhabi with Collectors’ Week, its most ambitious Middle East debut yet showcasing over $1 billion in fine art and luxury at The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort from 2–5 December.
The programme includes the first-ever luxury auction series in the region (valued at $150M), plus an additional $100M in private-sale diamonds, watches, handbags and rare objects. Highlights range from Jane Birkin’s personal Birkin, the largest Fancy Vivid Orangy Pink Diamond, and a full Patek Philippe Star Caliber 2000 set, to McLaren racing cars offered before they’re unveiled.
On the fine art side, expect a museum-level lineup: a major Rembrandt drawing, Klimt’s likely final portrait, Banksy’s self-shredding Girl Without Balloon, Warhol, Magritte, Mondrian and more — several shown exclusively in Abu Dhabi.
Collectors’ Week also brings talks, panels and masterclasses featuring leading voices including Diana Picasso, Batia Ofer, and HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, cementing Abu Dhabi’s rise as a global crossroads for culture, luxury and collecting.
A historic week, a milestone for the UAE and the region’s new capital of collectibles.
٥. NESSIJ & Cité internationale des arts Launch New Residency for Tunisian Artists
NESSIJ and the Cité internationale des arts have opened applications for a new joint research and creation residency designed to support artists based in Tunisia by expanding their professional networks and facilitating international mobility. The programme will award two three-month funded residencies in Paris (July–September 2026): one for a visual artist, and one for a filmmaker or artist in the performing arts (music, performance, dramaturgy, dance, choreography). Selected residents will receive a studio-apartment at the Cité internationale des arts (Marais site), a €1,000 monthly stipend, a €500 production grant, and full coverage of round-trip travel, visa costs and insurance. Applications are open from 2 December 2025 to 11 January 2026, and eligibility requires being professionally active for at least five years and living/working in Tunisia. A jury from programme partners (excluding Nessij for impartiality) will assess the artistic quality, relevance of a residency in France, and the proposed research plan. Candidates must apply through the online form, submitting a CV, portfolio, and a motivation statement. Full information, required documents, and the application link are available through the Cité internationale des arts residency portal.
٦. Would u still love me if i was a swarm? by Zein Majali at Ibraaz
On Thursday 11 December, 7–8 pm, Ibraaz presents would u still love me if i was a swarm?, a new immersive audiovisual performance by Zein Majali. Drawing on her project Swarm, Majali combines simulation film, found footage and a live score to tackle themes of algorithmic power, border conflict and high-frequency trading bots — all set against the political tensions on the Jordan–Palestine frontier and the disorienting effects of digital life. After premieres at Columna Rota (Mexico City), this London performance marks the latest evolution of her multidisciplinary practice. Hosted at Ibraaz (93 Mortimer Street, London W1W 7SS), the show offers a rare, bold fusion of sound, image and political reflection. For tickets, timing and full details, visit the Ibraaz “What’s On” page.
٧. NE M’OUBLIE PAS: Portraits of Passage from Studio Rex
From 14 November 2025 to 4 January 2026, the Union de la Jeunesse Internationale in Barbès hosts NE M’OUBLIE PAS, an exhibition devoted to the moving photographic legacy of Studio Rex in Marseille.
Founded in 1933 by Assadour Keussayan, Studio Rex occupied a symbolic crossroads between the Gare Saint-Charles and the Vieux-Port. For decades, people arriving from North and West Africa, from Algeria to the Comoros, passed through its doors to sit for identity photos and portraits destined for families far away. What remains is an extraordinary visual archive — portraits that hold memory, migration, longing and dignity in their gaze.
Patiently assembled over ten years by Jean-Marie Donat, these “image-traces,” taken mostly between 1966 and 1985, form a powerful collective portrait. Both intimate and historical, the collection reveals a Marseille shaped by movement, hope and the quiet poetry of everyday lives.
Presented for the first time at the Rencontres d’Arles in 2023, NE M’OUBLIE PAS now opens its next chapter in Paris, a tribute to those who passed before the lens, and to the stories held within their faces.
٨. Sole DXB 2025 Drops Its Most Ambitious Line-Up Yet
Sole DXB returns to Dubai Design District from 12–14 December with its biggest and most diverse programme to date : a three-day immersion into music, fashion, art, sport, and food, running daily from 4pm to 2:30am. Expect exclusive drops, previews and only-at-sole experiences across four music stages, including new concepts like Patrón’s La Hacienda, PowerHorse’s dance platform, and a packed roster of global and regional artists. Across the festival, brands such as Fred Perry, Fujifilm, ASICS, QASIMI, KAYALI, Congo Clothing Company and many more present workshops, pop-ups, installations and limited releases, while three F&B zones bring some of the city’s favourite culinary names. Music headliners including Kaytranada, Tyla, Miguel, Lil Yachty, Tinariwen, KR$NA, Raftaar, Shabjdeed & Al Nather, Zeyne, Venna and others round out the weekend.
٩. A Winter’s Tale Comes to Life at Portrait Milano
Portrait Milano opens its festive season with “The Gift: Portrait of a Winter’s Tale”, transforming its historic courtyard into a charity-focused winter village centered around a public ice-skating rink whose €15 entry supports Fondazione Mente and its work with children and adolescents on the autism spectrum. Running until January 6, 2026, the experience unfolds through four luminous glass-and-metal greenhouses that reimagine the old “Seminarium.” Ferragamo presents an urban-chalet boutique and a Samsung collaboration, Perfect Moment brings its AW25 skiwear and even a gondola lift to the courtyard, and Lindt marks 180 years of chocolate craftsmanship with live demonstrations on December 7, 20 and 21. Beyond the rink, Portrait Milano fills the season with ice shows choreographed by Andrea Vaturi, hot chocolate and mulled wine served by the rink, a transformed Beefbar Café offering pastries and its signature savoury panettone, and nightly performances by Rumore, including a special gospel concert on December 14.
١٠. Gucci Begins Its Demna Era with “La Famiglia”
Under its new creative director Demna, Gucci has launched a fresh vision. The house dropped “La Famiglia” — a surprise look-book rather than a traditional runway show, that presents a collection of 38 archetypes embodying the many faces of “Gucciness.”
Demna blends Gucci’s heritage codes : monograms, Web-stripe knitwear, floral motifs — with bold, contemporary touches: oversized velvet coats, sheer mesh tops, sequined dresses, unbuttoned silk shirts and more.
Available in select flagship stores since September 25, this debut serves as a primer for a wider rollout in January 2026. For now, “La Famiglia” feels like a handshake between legacy and subversion — a statement that Gucci under Demna is ready to reclaim glamour with new breath.
١١. Alserkal x Design Miami: A New Era of Design
Alserkal and Design Miami are joining forces in a landmark partnership that will bring the world’s leading forum for collectible design to the Middle East. Launching in early 2027, the collaboration will introduce a new Dubai-anchored platform—complete with a flagship event and year-round programming—dedicated to elevating collectible design from the region onto the global stage. Rooted in shared values of community, experimentation, and visionary creativity, the partnership merges Alserkal’s cultural impact with Design Miami’s two decades of international expertise. The result: a new creative hub positioning Dubai as a major destination for design lovers, collectors, and the global cultural conversation.
